Chapter 50
"It feels unsafe outside. Please pay attention to safety."
Caesar whispered, picked up the scarf hanging nearby and put it around Yael, then helped him tidy up his clothes.
To store the remains of 015, you need a box made of special materials. Although it is a very common item, I don’t have it at home, so I need to go out and buy one.
The male insect didn't let him follow, but Xi Ze was still worried after thinking about it, so he asked again, "I'll go with you."
"It should be fine."
Yael consciously ignored the female insect's request and just comforted her softly.
"That store is only three minutes away from here. I will come back after buying it and will not go anywhere else."
"Let's go."
He said goodbye to the worried female insect with a smile, but after closing the door, the expression on his face faded a little, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
The corridor was very cold. Yael pulled his hat down and walked out slowly.
...He didn't know what was wrong with him. Even though he knew it was not safe outside, he insisted on not letting the female insect go out with him.
Perhaps after losing the collar, the female insect has regained complete freedom and can leave at any time and anywhere, and she cannot find him at all.
It could also be that the explosion and disappearance of 015 caused a piece of the small home composed of three parts to be dug out, leaving it empty and leaking, making him temporarily unable to bear the loss of another piece, so he stubbornly refused to let the female insect leave the house.
But this doesn't really change anything.
After leaving the staircase, we could see a thick layer of snow outside. The cold wind blew in, knocking Yael's plush hat to the ground and lifting up the strands of hair in front of his forehead.
"!"
Yael quickly picked up his hat, but a very slight shutter sound seemed to flash past his ears, which made him raise his head alertly and look around.
He didn't find anything unusual, maybe he was just overthinking it. He put his hat back on and walked quickly towards the store in his memory.
The store is very close, but you have to walk a winding path to reach an inconspicuous corner on the edge of the black market.
Many of the seemingly inconspicuous small shops in the black market are actually truly useful shops. This is an experience that Yael learned after being cheated several times.
A small light was on in the narrow and messy shop, illuminating the things on the workbench. A strong female insect in a work vest was sitting behind the counter, fiddling with a strange-looking machine in her hands.
"A rare material storage box, thank you."
Hearing Yael's voice, the shop owner glanced at him and pulled out a gray box from under the counter. "Two hundred star coins."
Just as Yael was about to pay, he suddenly heard a probing voice in his ear, "I heard you have a female slave?"
Lili raised his eyebrows and looked at Yael as if he was looking at some rare animal. "I also heard that the female slave was very ignorant and was sent to the hospital for surgery."
Yael was fiddling with his laptop with his eyes downcast. A pair of beautiful black eyes were revealed between his hat and mask. Hearing this, he looked up at him.
Being looked at like that by those eyes, Lili touched his nose a little unnaturally, "Why are you looking at me like that? I also heard what they said."
"I just think it's very strange. It's not like you at all."
His voice became quieter and quieter under Yael's gaze, and finally he raised his hands in surrender and pushed the thing in his hand over.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything. Check if there is anything wrong."
The planet of Etal is very small, and the bad weather has caused the residential areas to be relatively closed, so any information can be spread quickly, but the current situation is obviously wrong.
"Who is spreading these messages? Where do they come from?"
Yael looked at the female insect's face and thought for a moment. "You mentioned the hospital just now... Was it the hospital worker who said that?"
Lili glanced at him and smiled awkwardly, "How would I know? It's strange. It didn't happen before, but in the past two days it seems to have grown wings and spread everywhere."
Spread everywhere?
"Did the message mention the appearance and name of the female insect I bought?"
Yael was also a little confused, but to be on the safe side, he asked a few more questions.
"No, what I heard was very vague."
Lili hesitated for a moment, then reminded, "But I feel like the focus of the news is not on that female slave, but on you."
Yael was stunned for a moment. It was a good thing that Xi Ze's information was not leaked, but it seemed ridiculous to say that the news was directed at him.
"I've been here for a year, so you guys must have dug up everything about me. Why are you deliberately spreading this kind of news?"
Lili coughed and said vaguely, "That's true, but maybe he wants to ruin your reputation..."
Yael is recognized as a good insect here, ranked first in the male insect hierarchy that most wants to marry. When this news came out, many sub-female insects were heartbroken on the spot.
Yael frowned.
…
The shaky door was closed, and the female insect's lazy voice slipped out from the crack of the door, "Come again next time."
Yael pulled his hat down, but it still couldn't resist the cold wind blowing in his face. The wind was sharp and cold, and it was full of tiny ice chips that could almost cut the skin.
The weather was already gloomy this morning, and now there are dark clouds rolling in, like a precursor to a snowstorm.
He exhaled a puff of white mist and walked quickly towards home, the uneasiness hovering in his heart growing heavier.
*
At the same time, the old city area is just a few hundred meters away.
"Lieutenant Colonel, this is where the male insect lives."
The adjutant looked at the building not far away and whispered, he pulled up the data on the computer, "This is the data of the male insect, you should have seen it."
"The male insect has a lurking female soldier following it for protection, but it's quite far away and seems to be concerned. We will intercept it later and should be able to buy about half an hour to talk to it."
Lemand stretched out his hand to press the wall, hiding his body in the shadows, and looked at the seemingly unremarkable residential building. No one could have imagined that there was a protective shield there that even a starship could not penetrate.
According to the report from the reconnaissance soldiers he sent out, this was quietly transported and installed several hours after the explosion in the building.
He didn't say anything, and the other female soldiers didn't dare to overstep their authority. The interior of the abandoned building fell into silence.
Lemand remained silent throughout, but only he knew how violently his chest was pounding. Rather than worry, it was more like a strange feeling of homesickness.
He had seen the male insect a long time ago.
A beautiful, injured, and undocumented underage male insect caused a sensation even during the most tense period of war.
The noble families in the main galaxy were eyeing this piece of fat meat like wolves, and they used various means to extend olive branches to the male insects while they were recuperating.
Leimand's family was considered upper middle class among the noble families in the main galaxy, and it happened that Leimand was on vacation, so his female father took him to visit the male insect.
At the same time, he is also trying to attract male insects and compete for the position of a female servant.
At that time, he was on the rise, and that was when he read the most news about the methods used by male insects to humiliate female insects.
Being young and full of energy, he was filled with intense resentment, but it was difficult for him to disobey his family's wishes.
On the way, he was still cursing that the male insect would suddenly fall seriously ill and die, until he met that pair of dark eyes through the glass outside the intensive care unit.
The underage male insect sat on the hospital bed, its dark hair contrasting with its eyes and brows like distant mountains. It looked pale and exceptionally quiet, so beautiful and handsome that it didn't seem like a naturally occurring creature.
The male insect did not speak the insect language, but the few words he spoke to express his needs were all preceded and followed by suffixes such as "please," "thank you," and "excuse me."
Naturally, cautiously and politely, the surrounding insects were surprised and couldn't help showing joy and happiness.
It's kind of... magical.
After just a few words, Leimand couldn't help but change his original impression.
For the first time ever, he even became a little cautious, fearing that the bloody smell from the battlefield would impact the male insect in front of him.
He looks like everything: sunshine, running water, a cat, a rose or fine snow. But he doesn't look like a male insect.
According to the media's lavish praise for the male insect, he should be called "the most fragile and delicate rose in the hands of the insect god" or "a brilliant and burning nebula in the universe."
But Lehman thought he was more like a silent plant.
Growing up in the wilderness with long winds and vastness, enduring the attacks of bloody rain or storms, it eventually becomes something that no one can understand or comprehend.
How amazing.
During those months on the main planet, Lemand's absurd understanding deepened every moment.
Until one day, when the endless stream of noble envoys finally left, it was already nearly midnight.
Leimande waited until now on purpose, casually thinking about the mother father's mission, but was too lazy to think about those twists and turns, so he leaned against the ward door and said directly.
"Which family would you like to join?"
The little male insect showed a puzzled look, and he slowed down his speech and repeated it again.
“Not joining any of them.”
The little male insect spoke slowly, lifted the quilt and lay down. His expression was a little blurry under the light of the star lights in the room, but his breath was very calm.
Leimand raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised by his answer, "That's impossible. No matter if it's the nobles or the royal family, they won't let you off easily."
Sensing the male insect's intention to rest, the lights in the room dimmed again, making the moonlight outside the window brighter and flowing quietly in the room.
The little male insect on the bed looked out the window, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long while, he whispered, "No, they will."
"I would rather wander the far reaches of the universe than languish and die in a golden cage."
After speaking in a strange language that no one could understand, the little male insect closed his eyes, a hint of fatigue flashing through his soft eyes. "Goodbye, good night."
Good night.
Leimand said silently and gently closed the door of the ward.
When he walked out of the hospital, the female father who had been waiting for a long time came up to him and asked him if he had caught the male insect. He shrugged and did not answer.
"Yeah, eh..."
軍雌看似在思考，其實早已走神到了好幾年前，情不自禁地低聲自語道。
他甚至忘記了此行最大的目的，只一心一意想着那只雄蟲。
直到一抹熟悉的身影出現在視野中，像是突破了回憶的鏡像走出，帶着一點恍若隔世的意味。
副官頻頻看向他，卻因為沒有得到命令不敢擅自行動。
萊曼德倏地回神，垂眸掩去異樣的神色，“走吧。”
……
“閣下留步。”
維和部隊裝扮的軍雌從巷子口出現，訓練有素地将方圓百米包圍了起來，看起來來者不善。
“？！”
耶爾後退了一步，神情瞬間變得警惕。
因為是趕回來的，耶爾現在還有些喘。
他将口罩拉到下巴，視線在那些軍雌胸前佩戴的标志上掃過，謹慎開口道，“請問有什麽事嗎？”
清越卻微冷的聲音從面前響起，和記憶中的聲線不謀而合，萊曼德頓了頓，從陰影中走出。
身姿挺拔的軍雌頓了頓，一揮手止住想要上前交涉的副官的話音，轉過了身，聲音輕且低，“好久不見，閣下。”
好久不見？
耶爾詫異了一瞬，仔細看了眼最前面的軍雌。
軍雌輪廓冷硬，眉眼陰沉俊美，有着一雙很獨特的湖綠色眼眸。
他渾身的硝煙和血氣幾乎掩蓋不住，擡眼直直地望過來時，像是一匹剛厮殺完的頭狼。
耶爾的第一反應是，他不認識這只蟲。
第二反應卻是想起了西澤。
如果沒有從戰場上退出，又陰差陽錯被磋磨已久，想必也是穿着一絲不茍的軍裝，冷峻又端肅的樣子。
只不過眼前的雌蟲是狼，西澤卻應該是有着璀璨金眸和蓬松白毛的雪豹。
這個聯想讓耶爾眸光微微和緩，又在下一秒暗下去，語氣冷淡而審慎。
“你認錯了吧，我不認識你。”
萊曼德眸光微暗，深深地凝視了他一眼。
“您好，我是萊曼德中校，負責這一帶星系維和治安的總指揮，很抱歉突然來訪，但事關軍事機密，情況非常急切。”
“如果方便的話，我們可以去旁邊談談嗎？”
副官先是震驚于自家中校溫和的語氣，接着又聽到下面那句，慢慢睜大了眼睛。
軍事機密？什麽軍事機密？
之前不是說用巨額星幣直接将那個雌奴買回來嗎，怎麽一下子就變卦了？
但無論他怎麽震驚，在頂頭上司面前，都只能閉嘴然後無條件服從。
聽到軍事機密幾個字，耶爾也下意識蹙起眉，沒穿越之前他有參與進國家秘密研究項目中，對此可以說十分敏感。
敏感，但不是盲目畏懼或崇拜，眼下的情況詭異得很，不可能眼前的軍雌說什麽就是什麽了。
況且經歷過這麽多事，他知道這裏面的水深得很。
他有些無措，但西澤的叮囑猶在耳側，語氣關切卻不容置喙——
【如果遇到什麽解決不了的情況，雄主要立刻呼叫我，然後快點往家裏跑。】
【跑回家，其他什麽都不用管，知道了嗎？】
“不好意思，不太方便。”
耶爾慢慢道，佩戴着光腦的右手不動聲色地背到了身後。
“既然是涉及軍事機密，中校為何直接帶兵來堵門，看樣子也沒有上頭的審批文件，既不機密也不正規。”
“這裏監控很多，安全系統雖然老舊但還算能幹……不管是讨論軍事機密還是要做什麽，都不是合适的地點。”
耶爾緩聲道，一邊揣測着他們的意圖。
他在這裏住了一年，沒有一次遇見過這種情況，唯一的變數，就是西澤。
想到這個可能性，耶爾的神色慢慢冷下來，“而如果是來找我的雌蟲的，那麽請回吧。”
“他是我的雌蟲，旁蟲沒有幹涉的餘地，這是由帝國法律規定的，想必中校比我清楚，而我并沒有轉讓或賣出的意願。”
雄蟲一番話将他們所有的路都堵死，副官越聽越不對勁，大着膽子上前一步。
“閣下，我們願意出一千萬星幣買回那個雌奴，而且只要您開口，交易所裏的雌奴随便您挑選，這樣可以嗎？”
耶爾應付都懶得應付，掀了掀眼皮，“我拒絕。”
副官徹底被噎住，顯然是沒想到耶爾的态度居然這麽直接強硬，他之前和貴族雄蟲打交道那些彎彎繞繞都沒有了用武之處。
“右手，在做什麽？”
萊曼德突然出聲道，一瞬間将所有視線都吸引到了耶爾的右手上。
耶爾眼睫一顫，将右手從身後拿出來，手腕上的光腦發出細微的藍光……如果是報警，應該是紅光才對。
沒等副官看清楚，面對危險時身體自發的預警卻瘋狂響起，讓他一瞬間瞳孔驟縮——
一股極其鋒銳且浩瀚的精神力卻先一步到達，摧枯拉朽般破開脆弱的屏障，将其中的精神海攪弄得天翻地覆。
“唔……！”
猝不及防遭到精神重創，就算是訓練有素的軍雌身形劇震，但仍然忍耐着沒有脫離崗位。
有些承受能力稍次的，甚至已經一瞬間濕透了後背。
副官頭痛欲裂，神色卻無比驚駭。
資料中眼前的雄蟲是D級，對雌蟲的精神力壓迫應該不會很強才對。
更遑論他們都是A＋以上的頂尖軍雌，且都經歷過精神力攻擊耐受訓練。
但現在又是什麽情況？！
副官一片混亂，腦子好像被尖刀來回攪弄，劇痛逼得他低吼道，“停……閣下……停、手！”
耶爾清透的眸底一片漠然，并沒有放松精神力壓迫，反而擡起手，輕巧地往前一指——
恐怖的精神力凝成無比尖銳的刀鋒，帶着幾乎恐怖的威懾力和攻擊力，高速射向神色冷厲的萊曼德。
精神力擊上一層厚重的屏障，兩股力量瞬間陷入僵滞的角力。
耶爾一擊即中，卻沒空管效果怎麽樣，将包圍圈猛地撞開一道口子，向着家的方向狂奔而去。
但他的速度還是比不上擁有骨翼的軍雌。
萊曼德劍走偏鋒從精神力攻擊中脫身，不顧開裂的精神圖景，直接振翼降落在耶爾面前——
“唔！”
然後一把拉住了雄蟲的後衣領，将耶爾扯得一個踉跄，失去平衡撲倒在雪地裏。
“咳咳咳……咳咳……”
耶爾吃了一嘴雪，刺骨的冰冷讓他打了個激靈，回過神後飛快站了起來。
軍雌已經重新圍上來，這次的包圍圈小了很多。
幾乎算得上把槍頂在後腰的挾持。
精神壓迫并沒有被撤去，萊曼德閉了閉眼，将手從太陽穴上放下來。
他頭上的軍帽歪了一些，幾縷烏黑發絲從額前垂落，更顯得眸光晦暗。
“請問什麽樣的條件才能打動閣下，将那個雌奴轉手給我們？”
外面的空氣還是刺骨的冷，單是站了這一會，剛才趕路滲出的薄汗便黏在了背上，被風一吹幾乎透心涼。
……好像跑不到家了。
耶爾喘着粗氣，想着幾步就能拐到的家門口，還有家裏等待的雌蟲，直接沒搭理他。
在極短的時間內，萊曼德已經強迫自己适應了精神上的高壓，一步步靠近面前的雄蟲。
“做什麽？”
耶爾警覺地後退一步，看向身前高他一頭的軍雌，語氣冷硬，“要說什麽就說，不要靠這麽近。”
萊曼德強忍着劇痛低頭，看見面前的雄蟲黑白分明的眼睛，因為警覺而睜得微圓。
他喉結情不自禁地上下一滾，只是有領口遮掩，看不出來異樣。
“說是軍事機密不是假的。”
萊曼德壓低了聲音，直接抛出了一個極其炸裂的訊息。
“……第一軍團的現任上将想要這個雌蟲。”
耶爾微怔，一個名字突然在腦海中跳出。
現任軍部上将，安托·艾德卡？
想要西澤？什麽意思？
思緒猝不及防被沖擊，原先的推測都不複成立，他難得糾結地蹙了蹙眉。
“你到底想說什麽？”
軍雌卻閉口不答，示意了一下旁邊被強制征用的咖啡店。
“現在能去好好談一談了嗎？”
＊
在耶爾被攔下的第一時間，西澤就得到了消息，實時轉接也逐幀生成，将畫面轉播到了他光腦上。
他調整了一下耳朵裏的精微耳機，裏面傳來暗中跟随保護雄蟲的隊長的聲音，“目标暫無生命危險，是否需要立刻救援？”
這時，光腦上的畫面已經同步加載出來。
屏幕中央的一個軍雌正巧往這邊偏了偏頭，從帽檐下露出挺拔的鼻梁和輪廓鋒利的下颌線。
西澤的視線瞬間凝固，原本和緩的臉色覆上一層冰冷寒霜，像是進入了狩獵狀态的野獸。
鋒銳殺意刺穿溫暖明亮的室內，顯露出彌漫着硝煙和血腥氣的可怖峥嵘。
他還以為自己能忘記的。
但當那張臉再一次出現在眼前，熟悉的窒息感便瞬間浸沒口鼻，撕裂內髒的劇痛重新在胸腹間絞起……與記憶中一分不差。
鋼筋鐵骨的軍雌從未畏懼鮮血和死亡，甚至視之為生命的歸宿。
It's just that the smoke and the blades temper one's will, while those extremely vicious means of torture and endless humiliation can break one's dignity and then crush it into the mud.
The physical pain is secondary; the most unbearable thing is the mental torture.
The journey from the main star to the edge star is extremely long. In order to ensure that the female insects do not become dehydrated or starve to death, a hole will be opened on the narrow prison box for ventilation and the injection of water and food.
If they wanted to stay alive, they had to put aside their dignity and use their mouths to catch the rotten water and rotten porridge that poured down on them. Even that was not much food, so they could only endure the hunger until they became numb and unconscious.
Once you eat, you need to defecate, but the box is never allowed to be opened. Even if you try your best to hold it in, until your muscles cramp and you feel extreme pain, you can only choke with suffocation and collapse and succumb to the physiological reaction.
Endless darkness, dehydration, hunger, suffocation, humiliation...
Each one is like a soft knife that cuts through reason and nerves. It is a bloodless torture that can make a female soldier who has just fought on the battlefield fall into a trance.
Xi Ze's Adam's apple rolled, and a strong smell of blood spread upwards.
But he still suppressed his murderous intent and said in a cold tone, "Approach carefully. The first priority is to protect the safety of the male insect. If the timing is right, you can use high-injury weapons."
There were many female soldiers following to protect him, but due to Yelle's keen perception, none of them could get too close, but he was caught by surprise.
He knew what Lemand was going to say. He just wanted to start with the male insect, reveal his identity, and then provoke the relationship between him and the male insect... stupid and vicious.
"Ten minutes."
Xi Ze looked indifferent, staring at Yael's face on the screen, "Bring back the male insects, and clean up the rest."